Chocolate chip cookies as bars!
I think this is a great recipe - my family loves these bars, too. I would give it 5 stars, except I did make a couple changes. Instead of shortening, I always use real butter in this recipe. Also, I put in 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (recipe calls for 1 1/2 cup brown sugar only). My family prefers milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet. Give it try!
Read More I thought I did something wrong when I first tasted this recipe but upon double checking, I realized this recipe is just not good. The shortening causes the bars to be greasy and there's way too much flour and not enough choco chips. I had to trash this dish and start over with a new recipe. From now on, only real butter for me. Shortening just isn't right for this dish!
Read MoreI think this is a great recipe - my family loves these bars, too. I would give it 5 stars, except I did make a couple changes. Instead of shortening, I always use real butter in this recipe. Also, I put in 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (recipe calls for 1 1/2 cup brown sugar only). My family prefers milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet. Give it try!
Jan.'07: Just tried this recipe because of seeing 46 mostly-good reviews. They taste really good - and, yes, more cake-like but still delicious. Because of the wonderful comments from so many, I did change the recipe slightly. I reduced the baking powder and soda to 3/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda. I used all butter (2 sticks) and used half white/half brown sugar. I reduced the milk to 1 Tbsp. Also, I baked these 35 minutes because of suggestions from other reviewers. THANKS reviewers!
I thought I did something wrong when I first tasted this recipe but upon double checking, I realized this recipe is just not good. The shortening causes the bars to be greasy and there's way too much flour and not enough choco chips. I had to trash this dish and start over with a new recipe. From now on, only real butter for me. Shortening just isn't right for this dish!
I've got it. The reason it is cake like (noted in other reviews) is because the size of the pan should be 15 x 10. You can't get 36 serving out of a 9 x 13 pan. I took the advise from the reviews and changed the shortening to butter. I used 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar and added a cup more of chocolate chips which I changed to milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet. I made them for my daughters b-day. We decorated the pan for b-day and she shared them with her class.
I thought I made these wrong. But, I double checked the recipe and I had followed it to a tee. They were very bland in taste and were as hard as a rock. Sure glad the function I was to take them to was cancelled.
These are awful!
Was very disappointed with this recipe. Needed a quick dessert for a meal we were putting together for a co-worker recuperating from surgery. Needed something easy, which these were. But the grease! These are the greasiest bars I've ever made! I followed the recipe exactly, using butter flavored Crisco. I sampled one of the bars to see what it tasted like and you guessed it - grease. I'd make something else but it's 10:35 p.m. and the Scots in me won't allow me to throw them out. (Too cheap!) All I can say is I hope they don't make her feel even worse than she does. Thumbs down.
After swapping the shortening for butter and regular milk for soymilk, I was pleased with my results. The bars' consistency landed somewhere between cake and bar which was fine with me.
This isn't a cookie at all! It's much more like a chocolate chip cake. Tastes nice, but it's cake...not cookie. We're very disappointed.
These went over very well!! I made two batches, one with butter and one with margarine. I liked the margarines ones better but that's what I'm use to baking with. They took an extra 5-10 minutes to bake. I also used part white and part brown sugar like someone else suggested! I will make these again!!
I made these for a bake sale. I did use margarine instead of shortining as I dont like the taste of shortining. I also added more chocolate chips than it called for. They were the first thing to sell out. Also some of the girls from my club asked me to make them again for a get-together and bring the recipe. They were quick and easy to make.
Tasted yummy but took longer to cook than the recipe indicated, maybe because I used glass bakeware. I altered it a bit by using green and red chocolate bits for the Christmas season.
blecch.these bars had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. they were bland and dry. after reading the reviews i used real butter inst. of shortening and white along w/ the brown sugar. but i still was not happy, something to do w the amount of flour maybe.
This is not at all like I expected it to be...... I guess I have had better...will not try again.
These turned out great! They taste just like chocolate chip cookies, but they only take a fraction of the time to make because you bake it in one slab instead of separated onto numerous cookie sheets. They were a great hit at the office - if I hadn't tried a piece at home, I wouldn't have gotten to have any because everyone else at them up!!!
Couldn't give it the 5 stars because I tweaked the recipe by using butter, keeping the 1 cup of choc. chips, and cutting the ingredients in half to fit a 12 inch diameter, 1 inch deep, PET (or PETE 1 recyclable plastic) cookie/pie pan that I bought from a local grocer. It originally had a chocolate chip cookie pie that was decorated with the Superbowl theme (Yea Cardinals, we almost beat those pesky Steelers!). By using a pinch more of the baking powder and salt I got a crispy cookie pie that baked up in 25 minutes. It was just barely sliceable but didn't crack unless I cut it smaller than eighths. But my family didn't want small pieces anyway, so this turned out perfect. The next time I use this recipe I'm gonna serve the slices with vanilla ice cream on top!
I wish you could all have a whiff, I just took out these chocolate chip bars from the oven, for a cook out with friends, they look just wonderful. They were the hit of the party! Used butter flavored shortning, and added an extra cup of chocolate chips, super!!!! I will make them again, and again, and again!!
I thought these bars were delicious. They melted in your mouth, and I preferred the brown sugar rather than white.
this recipe was a good jumping off point. i changed the sugar to 1/2 c. brn sugar and 3/4 c. granulated sugar. changed the shortening to 1/2c shortening and 1/2 c. butter. then i added 1 1/2 tsp almond extract. finally, 2 c. white chocolate chips instead of semisweet chocolate. with those changes.. these turned out to be the best cookie bars i've ever had. i made two batches for family reunion and they were gone before anything else!
Great recipe. I made them exactly like the recipe. Every time I make them for a bake sale they always sell first.
These were a big hit in our house and so much less time consuming than dropping cookies. I definitely agree with the previous post that you need to use a jelly roll pan if you want these to be more bar-like than cake-like. I also used 3/4 cup of each kind of sugar (brown and white), as well as one stick of margarine and one stick of butter in place of the shortening. I thought one cup of chips wouldn't be quite enough for our liking, so we used the entire bag. They came out awesome!! We will certainly be making these again when mom is feeling lazy and/or we are crunched for time!
These were okay. I did use a 10"X15" pan, so they weren't too cake like. I also used half butter and half crisco.
I also took the advice and did 3/4c brown and white sugars and use all butter instead of the shortening. These are yummy! They don't last long. I like the 9x13 size because I like a thicker bar.
I am a butter gal at heart--the use of only shortening in this recipe gave it an odd flavor--I would use this recipe again, but use at least 50% butter...
these bars are great! really easy and quicker than doing cookies by the sheet. to add to the chocolaty-ness, I sprinkled 1 (additional!) cup choc. chips on the top 5 min. before they were done and spread like frosting upon removing from the oven. yum, yum, double yum!
This cookie bar was THE WORST thing I have ever eaten. All you could taste was the shortening and we tossed it out!!!
I just had some of these, and they are heavenly, but I made some changes. Instead of shortening, I used 2 sticks of butter. I used 1/2 cup of white sugar + 3/4 c. brown sugar. No milk, but I used 1/4 c. Miracle Whip. Baked 20 minutes and removed. After a couple more min. I cut them into squares and removed to cooling rack. They were chewy and delicious - just what I was craving without the time of baking batches of individual cookies.
I made a few changes based on the suggestions of others. I used half shortening/margarine, and half brown sugar/white sugar. The dough was fantastic! I spread in a 15x10 greased baking sheet and baked for 28 minutes, which was just about right. The edges got a little crispy and it was hard to get the bars out, so next time I would probably cover the baking sheet in foil first. Overall, we were happy with these tasty bars! Not quite as good as our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but worth it since they're much easier to make.
It has a bit much flour in it, for my tastes. It's a great recipe, but instead of 2 cups all-purpose flour, i used 1 1/2 cups flour + 1/2 cup cocoa powder the second time i made these and they came out so great.
This recipe is great, they were a hit at work today. Very sweet, chewy and delicious. They also cut up easily and travel well. However the cooking time should be reduced to 20 minutes to avoid them drying out and getting hard. I also used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour instead of 2 cups white flour because I love wheat flour. Everyone loved them.
Not a novice "cookie chef", I followed this recipe to a T... turned out terrible. was wet in the middle, high and cakey on the edges. i cut out the edges, and the chocolate chip cake portion was really tasty.
I generally do not follow any recipe exactly...don't know why I chose to this time. Bars needed a little more sweetness and were a bit greasy from the shortening. Very difficult to mix (quite a bit of flour). I will NOT make these exactly as the recipe calls for next time. I will use a little white sugar (along w/the brown sugar) and either 1/2 the shortening w/butter OR all butter. There is a definite difference between shortening and butter. The edges tend to get crispy-so I just put aluminum foil all around the edges and it comes out perfect. Should have read more reviews before trying. My family eats just about anything. Live and learn. Will come back to site for more ideas. Thank you
Something just wasn't quite right with this recipe. I followed the directions, and added extra chocolate chips because I was afraid they'd be bland, but they still turned out less sweet than I expected. I must admit -- I was a little disappointed, but they were really quick and easy. Maybe you will have better luck with them than I did! =)
Easy to make. Kids love this one.
My friend and i attempted this recipe but it didn't turn out as well as we planned. We chose to add sugar after we tasted it and it made it better. i advise adding sugar to help sweeten it!
It was an extremely quick and easy dessert to make, especially for children. They were enjoyed by both children and adults. I just substitute the shortening for margarine, and switch to both white and brown sugar.
The secret to these are to use real BUTTER. I made these all the time here in Canada, and they always come out delicious, but when I visited my aunt in the USA and made them for her, they tasted pretty bad. Maybe there's just something about the ingredients or something, but I dunno....?
I should have read the reviews 1st. I made this in a jelly roll pan, which was the perfect size, but I took the cookies out of the oven before the recomended time because they looked perfect on top and passed the toothpick test. They were not done on bottom and never really recovered. Adults passed, but the kids still ate them up. If I make again I will cook for a longer time on a lower temperature. I also added more vanilla and some cinnamon for flavor.
Great recipe! I cooked them for 27 mintues which left them golden on top and kind of doughy in the middle, but I think it tastes really good that way. I always seem to eat one more than I should!
These bars turned out pretty good, although next time I will do half shortening, half butter. All shortening seems to make cookies taste too bland. I also used 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (1 1/4 c. reg) and snuck in 1/4 c. wheat germ and couldn't taste the difference.
These are great! I did use butter instead of shortening and I added 1 cup of walnuts. I will definitely make these again.
I loved these! I made using the original ingredients. I did you my stone bar pan and baked did not bake them as long as indicated.
I thought the bars were going to be bland so I added extra chocolate chips. In fact, I added tons of chocolate chips. To me, the bars were still a little sweet and could probably have used some white sugar. However, everyone I served them to loved them. I took them to a potluck and they were gone in half an hour.
Pretty good. They were really rich, but I did add an entire back of chocolate chips. I also baked them in a jelly roll pan.
The recipe was a little to simple for my taste I added sugar, more vanilla, sugar and more salt to taste. Thanks for sharing !
These bars are awesome! And if you are like me and like the cookie DOUGH even more the the finished product, this is the recipe for you! my daughter and i could have eaten the whole bowl of dough and never made a single bar (we didn't, of course LOL!) it was so creamy and smooth. the only change I made was using butter rather than shortening, and I too used half white and half brown sugar. Yum!!! and so easy!
I tried these for a family gathering, But I threw them out before anyone could try them. They were easy but my husband and I both thought they were way to Bland, Just no taste at all. If I were to ever make these again I would use twice as much chocolate chips, But I doubt I would make them again. LB
I made these exactly as listed, although I doubled the chips - they are wonderful. I was concerned about using all shortening, but they came out perfect. Everyone loved them. Super easy too - my batter was ready to go by the time the oven preheated! thanks
Very good recipe, I made it in a slightly smaller Pyrex which allowed me to have thicker bars. I had to increase the baking time by about 10 minutes due to the added thickness, but turned out perfect!
I also had trouble with this recipe. Hard around the edges and mushy in the middle. T
This was one of the worst tasting cookie bars I have ever had. Using shortening was a horrible idea. These bars have no flavor. They are kind of sweet, but are totally missing something... butter. There needs to be a bit of salt to offset the bland sweet taste. Al of this could be corrected by using butter instead of shortening. Maybe butter flavored shortening would do the trick, but I will
I needed something quick for an after school snack for teenagers and they dug right into these. However, I read earlier notes and used 2 cups of chocolate chips. The first comment was, "there's too many chocolate chips in these." I'd cut it to 1 1/2 cups. They aren't super sweet, maybe half white sugar would be better. Overall good though.
Excellent bars! My 13 yr. old daughters classmates are always asking her to bring them to school!
I thought they were kind of bland but, they were great in a pinch!
Fantastic cookie bars! I used butter and white sugar as recommended by others and they turned out great. So easy!
I thought this recipe was great. It was both easy and tasty! I'll definitely make this recipe again!
First time I made these I made them EXACTLY how it says. Right down to the Semi-Sweet Choc. chips, which I don't care for. Texture was fine. Not greasy or cake like, like so many reviewers say. Mine were more chewy cookie like. But Semi-Sweet Choco. Chips made them to bitter. So I made them a second time replacing the chips with Milk Choc. Chips and replacing the shortening with butter. So many people said the shortening made it greasy. Well mine with butter are greasy. So much so that when I stuck a skewer in the center to see if they were done it came out clean of batter but was glistening from the grease. The texture IS NOW like moist cake. In the corner of the pan the chips sunk to the bottom and it looks like a two layer cake chocolate on bottom and cookie batter flavor on top. Not pleased with the outcome. Neither attempt turned out anything like the cookie bars my grandmother use to make. First time gave a 4star rating just because the only issue was the wrong chocolate(so I thought). This time I have to down grade it to two stars.
The entire family loved these!
This recipe is to die for!
This receipe has motivated my husband to bake again. He made a batch for some teenagers and they absolutely loved them. Quick, easy, delcious.
I made this today and I’ve made it in the past. Last time I made it exactly as the recipe stated. This time I made a few changes based on the recommendations. I really love the original recipe. It tasted delicious and I won’t ever change a thing again!
Oh, my, I thought I just hadn't let these cool long enough but nope. They are just too greasy. I wouldn't recommend this at all. On to the next one.
took longer to cook than said
These are great and easy to make. I always add a small package of instant vanilla pudding to my chocolate chip cookies as it is supposed to help make the cookies soft, so I did the same in this recipe.
It didn't turn out at all! I put more chocolate chips in it and added butterscotch chips as well. When it came out it was hard on the outside and not done on the inside. I'm trying a different recipe next time.
I made this recipe for a summer party dessert and my guests loved the bars! Because I did not having any shortening and no time to go to the store to buy shortening, i used butter instead and they turned out perfectly!
These were SO tasty and easy! They were gone in less than an hour! I used butter instead of shortening and added more chocolate chips.
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!! I added some raisins also..moist and chewy once cooled..Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar!!! Thanks so much for this greaT RECIPE :)) SHELLEY
These didn't bake well for me. They were done on the top and mushy on the bottom. This was my second time trying this and I won't be trying it again. Sad.
Took at least 10 min. longer to cook than said time and cookies were average. In fact a little less than average. Won't make these again.
not bad.
My kids loved these cookies. I used butter flavored shortening and more chocolate chips.
Delish and easy. I did make a few changes: I cut the brown sugar to 1 cup, added 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, and added 2 TBS of dark cocoa. Satisfied my hungry teenagers! Will make again.
